How to rename your Mac

2 min read · 4 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

A Mac is usually named after its first user, for example Anna's MacBook Pro. Change it if you bought the Mac second-hand, if two Macs at home have the same name, or if you do not want your name shown on shared networks.

These steps are for recent versions of macOS, where the settings app is called System Settings. The pictures are our own screenshots from macOS Tahoe 26 on a MacBook Pro.

Step by step

1. 

   Open System Settings and click General

   Click the Apple menu in the top left corner and choose System Settings. Then click General in the sidebar.

   Done

2. 

   Click About

   It is the first line on the General page.

   Done

3. Click the name and type a new one

   The name is the first line on the About page. Select the current name and type the new one.

   Done

4. Leave the page

   Press Return or click somewhere else, and the new name is kept.

   Done

Good to know

Apple calls this the computer name. It identifies the Mac on your local network.

There is a second name, the local hostname. It is the computer name with .local added, and with hyphens in place of spaces: My Computer becomes My-Computer.local. Other devices use it to find shared services on the Mac.

To change the local hostname yourself, open System Settings, General, Sharing, and click Edit in the Local hostname section at the bottom.

Renaming the Mac does not change your user account name or your home folder.

In short: System Settings, General, About, click the name, type a new one.